Beef, Potatoes, Salads, Slow cooker

Slow Cooker Braised BBQ Beef and Roseanne Cash’s Potato Salad

When I was back in the States last month, my friends were great sports and fired up the grill to make bratwurst and beer can chicken after I bemoaned the lack of barbecue-worthy weather in Ireland. Back home in Ireland, though, I can still try to recreate those flavors and memories of hot Midwestern summer evenings with these pulled beef sandwiches. Made in the slow cooker, there’s no charcoal to light and no need to keep one wary eye on the inevitably approaching rain, and if you need to feed a small army at some point this summer, then this is the recipe for you — it can be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And even though my husband makes a mean barbecue sauce, this is one of the rare times I’ll give in to convenience and opt for something store-bought instead of homemade, making this one of the easiest recipes in my summertime repertoire.

Slow Cooker Braised BBQ Beef

Serves 10 to 12

This recipe also works well with an equal weight of boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make a versatile shredded BBQ chicken.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 x 3 lb (1.4 kg) pot roast or chuck roast, rinsed and dried
1 x 28 oz (or 2 x 14 oz/400 g) can of whole plum tomatoes
18 oz (500 ml) of your favorite barbecue sauce, either store-bought or homemade
salt and freshly ground black pepper
soft sandwich rolls or hamburger buns

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the barbecue sauce and stir everything to combine. Add in the pot roast, cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is tender and shreds apart easily. When the meat is cooked through, remove it from the slow cooker and shred with a fork. Set aside.

If you want the sauce to be a bit thicker, transfer it to a pot on the stove on a medium-high heat, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until it’s the desired thickness, making sure to stir the sauce often to prevent it from burning.

Return the meat to the sauce in the slow cooker or in the pot to warm through again. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on buns.

***

Roseanne Cash’s Potato Salad
adapted from Bon Appétit, June 2004

Serves 8

For something a little different, Cash sometimes adds some chopped fresh cilantro and 2 teaspoons curry powder. This can be made up to 1 day ahead and tastes best if it’s allowed to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

3 lb (1.4 kg) baby potatoes (red-skinned are good), unpeeled
8 to 10 dill pickle spears, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup (180 ml) mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Scrub the potatoes, then cut into quarters or halves, depending on their size (you want them to be in bite-sized pieces). Cook them in a large pot of boiling salted water until they’re tender but still holding their shape. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Miscellaneous, Potatoes, Poultry

Beer Can Chicken and Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple Jalapeno Sour Cream

After over a year apart, Kristin and I were finally able to cook together last week during her trip back to the Midwest. In anticipation of her visit, and remembering her recent laments about the lack of weather worthy of grilling in Ireland, I cooked a few days of grill-friendly meals: fajitas (excellent excuse for homemade margaritas), kofta kabobs, and this summer’s favorite discovery, beer can chicken. I’ve read about the beer can technique for years but couldn’t bring myself to literally stuff a bird with a beverage until recently. My distrust was completely unfounded because this recipe rocks. Plus, it makes for a funny blog picture.

For a delicious and easy side dish, I roasted sweet potatoes and served them with make-it-in-a-minute maple jalapeno sour cream. I like to roast my potatoes right alongside the chicken to avoid heating up the kitchen. To roast sweet potatoes in a charcoal grill, simply wrap the sweet potatoes in foil (heavy duty recommended) and place them on or near the hot coals. Roast them until tender, usually 60 to 75 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potatoes, their proximity to the coals, and the heat of the fire.

Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken
adapted from Food Network

Serves 6

You can also make beer can chicken in the oven instead of on a grill — try following the cooking instructions for this version of it (but note that this recipe calls for a smaller chicken; adjust your cooking time accordingly).

1 x 4 lb (about 2 kg) whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can of beer

Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken and discard. Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken lightly with oil, then rub it inside and out with salt, pepper and the dry rub. Set the chicken aside.

Open the beer can and take a few sips (make them big gulps so that the can is only half full). Place the beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place it in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.

Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165°F in the breast area and 180°F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

***

Maple Jalapeno Sour Cream

Makes 2 cups

2 cups (480 ml) sour cream
1 jalapeno, minced (seeds and membranes removed before mincing if you don’t want it too spicy)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Gently mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 4 hours. Dollop on top of the roasted sweet potatoes.

Casseroles, One-pot wonders, Pork

Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

Today marks our one-year blogging anniversary and our 200th post! To celebrate the occasion, we’re doing a little giveaway. To be in with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate, just leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite recipe from our site. The giveaway will close at midnight (US Central time) on Sunday, August 8 and the randomly selected winner will be notified by e‑mail.*

I just got back from my 10-day solo trip to the States, so I know it’s hot back home (sadly, the same can’t be said of Ireland). If you can bear to turn on your oven for 45 minutes, then this is an easy way to use up an abundance of tomatoes now that they’re coming into season. It’s like a summertime version of Donal Skehan’s oven-roasted sausage and sweet potato recipe. It’s also incredibly easy to pull together and doesn’t take much prep work or thinking about — just right for when your head is still spinning from jet lag, a hard day at work or a long day taking care of the kids. I like to serve this with a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and plenty of crusty bread to mop up all the juices.

*The competition has now closed. Congrats to Kathy, who likes the warm tofu with spicy garlic sauce!

Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake
adapted from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

Jamie suggests chopping up any leftovers to make into a chunky pasta sauce for penne or rigatoni, and I can vouch that it’s good. If you like this dish, you’ll also like balsamic roast chicken with rocket, roast tomatoes and Parmesan.

3 to 4 1/2 lb (1.4 to 2 kg) ripe cherry tomatoes (mixed colors if you can find them)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 red onions, quartered (leave the root end intact so the quartered segments stay together)
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (not too small or they’ll burn)
10 to 12 good-quality butcher sausages or Italian sausages
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crusty bread, mashed potatoes, rice or polenta, to serve
green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the tomatoes, herbs, onions, garlic and sausages in a large roasting tray or casserole dish, one that can more or less fit all the tomatoes in one layer (or you could do individual casserole dishes, like I did in the photo, or divide everything between 2 trays/dishes if you don’t have one that’s big enough). Drizzle well with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper, then make sure the sausages are on top. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then give the tray a shake and turn the sausages over. Continue cooking for 15 to 30 minutes more, depending on how golden and sticky you like your sausages.

If you think the sauce is a little too thin once the sausages are done, lift them out and place the tray on the stovetop to cook it down to the consistency you like, then put the sausages back in. Check the seasoning and serve either with a good crusty bread (great for mopping up the sauce!), mashed potatoes, rice or polenta, a green salad and a nice glass of wine.

Asian food, Rice, Salads, Seafood

Salmon with Asian Slaw

After a long, hot, relaxing day at the beach, the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven, stand over a simmering pot, or even think much about dinner. I also needed to use up at least one of my numerous bulbs of kohlrabi. This simple yet elegant dish was the perfect solution. If you are not familiar with kohlrabi, the slaw is a nice way to try it. I prefer it in salads like this one, raw and thinly sliced. Its crunchiness holds up nicely in the vinaigrette so it can marinate for as long as you need it to without losing texture or taste. If you can’t find kohlrabi or are afraid of its UFO like appearance, celery, jicama, or even green apple could be substituted.

Salmon with Asian Slaw
serves 4

Slaw:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
juice and zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
1 small head napa cabbage, thinly sliced crosswise to “shred”
3–5 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno, thinly sliced
2 carrots, shredded
2–3 radishes, diced
1 Kirby (or 1/2 regular) cucumber, diced

Salmon:
1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each)
salt and pepper, to taste
3–4 cups cooked jasmine rice

Combine the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Feel free to add more vinegar, sesame oil, tamari, lime, salt, pepper and serrano, to taste. Sometimes I add a half cup of mayonnaise for extra creaminess. Toss the slaw gently and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.

About 15 minutes before serving, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the hot oil and cook about 8 minutes until nicely browned. Turn the salmon over and continue cooking until cooked through, 3–5 minutes longer depending on the thickness of the fillets.

For each serving, mound rice in the center of a dinner plate. Place a salmon fillet in the center of the rice, then top with the chilled slaw.

Asian food, Poultry, Salads

Vietnamese Chicken and Mint Salad

When you’re a freelancer who works to deadlines, taking time off can be a mixed blessing. The time away is great, but I work overtime before I go to clear my desk and then more overtime when I come back to catch up. Kelly put it perfectly when she said it’s like trying to fit 25 hours of living (or working, in this case) into a 24-hour day, which is why we’ve been eating a lot of salads in my house for the past few weeks while I worked to clear my desk in advance of my solo trip back to the States. Salads are the summertime equivalent of wintertime one-pot wonders, but with the added benefit of coming together in no time at all (which also makes them perfect for lazy summer cooks). The flavors in this one are cool and crisp, but it’s still substantial enough for a main course, especially on hot days when you don’t feel like eating much of anything at all. Like the white bean, salami and spinach salad, this is another favorite salad that I make at least once every summer.

Vietnamese Chicken and Mint Salad
from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson

Serves 4 as a main course

A food processor or mandoline slicer makes short work of the chopping and shredding in this recipe. If you don’t want to turn on your oven to roast the chicken, you could poach it instead, or just buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and avoid heating up your kitchen altogether.

4 chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper
2 onions, finely sliced
1/2 head of white cabbage, shredded
4 to 6 medium carrots, shredded or grated
1 large bunch of mint, roughly chopped, with some set aside to garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a baking tray with olive oil.

Place the chicken breasts on the baking tray. Drizzle the chicken with a little olive oil, then sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool, then roughly chop into bite-sized chunks.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the chili, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar, and black pepper to taste. Add the sliced onions to the mixture and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a big plate or bowl, mix the cabbage, carrot, mint and cooked chicken. Pour over the dressing and toss well, making sure everything is combined and covered thinly with dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve on a flat plate with a little mint scattered on top.

Eggs, Italian food, Pork

Chorizo, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata

We planted potatoes for the first time this year, joking that we were earning our Irish citizenship now. Of all the things we planted, my husband was most excited about the potatoes. The first thing he’d do when he got home from work was make a beeline to the garden to check on them, sometimes barely even stopping to say hello to the kids first. So when the diagnosis came back from our expert gardening friend that the potatoes had blight, he was pretty cut up about it. The good news is that the potatoes are still perfectly edible, but the bad news is they won’t store well. Suffice it to say we’re going to be eating a lot of potatoes over the coming weeks.

Most frittatas, which are like an Italian open-faced omelet, use potatoes, so it was one of the first things I thought of when faced with this sudden glut. Plus they’re perfect summertime food — not too heavy or filling and ideal for picnics, since they’re easy to transport and can be served at room temperature (I actually prefer them this way). It’s also a good way of using up bits and bobs of things that are hanging around in your crisper or pantry, making them open to endless variations.* This one is our new favorite, but I also like making one with baby potatoes and jarred artichoke hearts, or if provisions are very low in the house, I can usually rustle up a classic Spanish tortilla.

A word of warning here: to make a frittata, you need an ovenproof frying pan. No one wants to deal with a melted handle. And be sure to remember that the handle will be hot for quite some time after you take it out of the oven — I’ve burned my hand more times than I care to admit. Nowadays, I always leave an oven mitt or dishtowel wrapped around the handle as soon as I take it out of the oven to remind me to be careful.

Chorizo, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata

Serves 4 to 6 as a light dinner or brunch

For a vegetarian version, simply leave out the chorizo. Try to use potatoes that are roughly the same size so that they all cook in the same amount of time when you parboil them in the first step. Roasting the red peppers heightens their flavor, but if you don’t have them, simply chop them and saute them along with the onions.

1/2 lb (225 g) baby potatoes, unpeeled and left whole
olive oil
5 oz (140 g) chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 red peppers, roasted, skinned and roughly chopped (or use well-drained jarred roasted peppers)
8 eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 oz (140 g) feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the potatoes in the pot and boil for about 5 minutes, or until just cooked and fork tender — do not overcook them or they won’t keep their shape when sliced. Drain. When they’re cool enough to handle, slice thinly and set aside.

Heat a splah of olive oil in a large ovenproof, nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Add in the sliced chorizo and cook for about 5 minutes, until the chorizo has released its oils into the pan and has browned slightly. Scoop the chorzio out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. If there’s an excessive amount of oil now in the pan, drain some off until only 1 or 2 tablespoons remain.

Reduce the heat to low, add the onion to the oil left behind in the pan and cook gently for 7 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then remove from the heat. Add in the chopped roasted red peppers and set aside.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper (don’t use too much salt, since the chorizo and feta are also quite salty). Stir in the potatoes and chorizo. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion and peppers from the pan to the egg mixture and give everything a good stir.

Wipe out the frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of fresh olive oil (you can use less oil if you have a really good nonstick pan). Heat the oil in the pan, then pour in the egg mixture, making sure the chorizo and vegetables are evenly distributed throughout the pan. Top with the feta cheese.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 25 to 35 minutes, or until set in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before sliding it out of the pan onto a large serving platter or cutting board. Serve warm or at room temperature with a green salad on the side.

*Here are a few other frittata variations from around the web:

30-minute meals, Beans, Mexican food, Vegetarian main dishes

Chili Bean Burritos with Corn Salsa

I love having visitors, not least because I get to pull out all the stops and feed them well. We had some vegetarian friends over from the US for a long weekend visit last week, so I turned to some of my tried-and-true favorites: polpette di melanzane, ratatouille, lemon and pea risotto, and Moorish crunch salad with naan bread, plus roasted peaches with amaretti and Eton mess for dessert. My friend (the same friend who cracked his fridge shelf last year with a heavy pot of soup) was lamenting the fact that they’re tired of making the same old things from their small cookbook collection, so Adrian, here’s another fast and easy vegetarian recipe for you to add to your repertoire.

Chili Bean Burritos with Corn Salsa
adapted from Every Day by Bill Granger

Serves 4

When serving this to my small children, I give them a tortilla on the side (because they still like to have what the grown-ups are having) and just put the bean mixture in a bowl with some corn salsa on top, which they can easily spoon up.

for the chili bean burritos:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of chopped tomatoes
zest and juice of 1 lime
a small handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
freshly grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, to serve
tortillas, to serve
natural yogurt or sour cream, to serve

for the corn salsa:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups (300 g) corn, either fresh or frozen
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
a small handful of fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the bean burritos, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat. Add the celery, onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic, chili and spices and cook for 1 minute more. Add the kidney beans and tomatoes and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the cilantro.

While the bean mixture is cooking, make the salsa. In a separate large pan, heat the oil over a high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes. Tip the corn into a large bowl and stir through the celery, onion, chili, coriander, lime zest and juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

To serve, spoon some bean mixture down the middle of each tortilla, sprinkle with the grated cheese and wrap up firmly. Serve with the corn salsa and a spoonful of yogurt.

30-minute meals, Beans, Cookies, Italian food, Pork, Salads

White Bean, Salami and Spinach Salad and Italian Chocolate Fridge Biscuits

I’m a little jealous of all the heat waves in America lately. After the best June in years here in Ireland, July is turning out to be cold and rainy a lot of the time and we’re lucky to even hit 70°F. But last month, when we had proper warm weather, I was making salads for dinner almost every night and this is one of my favorites. Served with some crusty bread, it’s a perfect main course for a hot (or even not so hot) summer’s night.

And if you’re being good and eating salad for dinner, it’s as good of an excuse as any to splurge a little with one of these biscuits. If you can rouse yourself from the heat enough to melt some butter on the stovetop, then all you have to do is press the dough into a baking dish and leave it in the fridge overnight, making this ideal for summertime baking. I made them for the Irish foodies’ cookie bake-off* at the start of the month, and while at first I was a little disappointed in them (I’d been expecting more flavor from the coffee and Crunchie bars), they grew on me. They’re a grown-up kind of cookie, the kind of thing that’s perfect with a cup of coffee after dinner (or anytime).

White Bean, Salami and Spinach Salad
adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

Serves 2 as a light main course

for the salad:
7 oz (200 g) baby spinach (or about 4 big handfuls)
1/2 lb (225 g) salami, thinly sliced
a handful of basil leaves, cut into ribbons
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (100 g) black olives, halved
freshly grated Parmesan shards, to serve
crusty bread, to serve

for the dressing:
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the spinach into a large serving dish. Cut the salami into thin strips and add to the spinach along with the basil, beans and olives.

To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, thyme and salt and pepper together until thick and creamy (or shake to combine in a screw-top jar). Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together gently. Grate over some thick shards of Parmesan cheese and serve with plenty of crusty bread.

***

Italian Chocolate Fridge Biscuits
adapted from Avoca Café Cookbook

Makes one 9 x 13 inch tray

3/4 cup (175 g) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (150 g) cocoa powder
1 cup (200 g) sugar
3/4 cup (75 g) ground almonds
3/4 cup (75 g) ground hazelnuts
1 tablespoon espresso or strong black coffee
1 egg and 1 egg yolk, beaten together
6 oz (175 g) Petit Beurre, high-quality butter cookies or digestive biscuits, roughly chopped
6 oz (175 g) honeycomb, such as Crunchie bars, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups (175 g) hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Put the butter, cocoa, sugar, ground almonds and ground hazelnuts in a large pot and heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted. Beat the coffee, egg and egg yolk into the mixture, then stir in the cookies, honeycomb and chopped hazelnuts. It will be very crumbly and rough looking at this stage.

Lightly oil a shallow 9 x 13 inch baking dish and firmly press the mixture into it (the mixture should be about 3/4 inch thick). Leave it to set in the fridge overnight, then turn out and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

*Looking for more cookie inspiration? Check out all these recipes from some other Irish foodies:

A Cooking Blog